I would like to propose a Beaverkill ‘Clave the weekend of June 2nd. The Estey bro’s and their dad will meister this event in the cradle of American flyfishing. Come fish some of the same riffles, runs, and pockets that inspired many of the great names in our sport.

The Beaverkill is a beautiful and classic Catskill water that supports a multitude of insect species and a very healthy population of brown trout with the occasional landlocked steelhead thrown into the mix. I chose the date for the hatch variety and specifically for the fair to good possibility that the green drake will be hatching. The green drake is a large fly (size 8) and the large fish go nuts over them.

The drive is about 5 hours and there are currently 3 open seats in our car. After that we will need other drivers. We will be leaving after work on Friday giving us 1.5 to 2 days of fishing depending on when people have to leave.

The Beaverkill campground, on the upper Beaverkill, has group sites and is about 5-10 minutes from the main fishing action.

I don’t know for sure but I think the fishing licenses will run 7-12 dollars.

There are two well stocked fly shops in the nearby town of Roscoe and for those who can tear themselves away from the water there is a flyfishing museum in the area as well.

To get a taste of the fishing here check out my post on the trout board and/or the sites below.

Slide show http://home.att.net/~goflyfishing/slideshowstart.htm

Hatch chart http://home.att.net/~goflyfishing/hatches.htm#caddis

So how about it? Do we have a ‘clave?

juro

02-16-2001, 04:17 PM

That sounds outstanding - Luis, where is the NEC? Isn't it that same week?

trutta

02-19-2001, 09:10 AM

Yes, the FLYFISH@ clave is the same weekend in the Adirondacks. Wilmington Notch, State Campground, NY.

juro

02-19-2001, 12:00 PM

Luis -

Is it the Wilmington near the top edge of this map?

http://images.worldres.com/site_images/lakeplacid/image_maps/0.gif

juro

02-19-2001, 12:10 PM

Gregg -

Wonder how far the Beaverkill is from the Upper Adirondacks. The legacy of the Beaverkill is quite impressive! A few notables fished there, eh? <!--http--><a href="http://www.leewulffbeaverkillvideo.com/" target="_blank">Wulff video</a><!--url--> would make a nice study for such a trip.

Very tempting...

one problem is that we some of us would have just spent days running wild with Luis and our wives may be short on patience by then http://www.flyfishingforum.com/images/flytalk/Wilk.gif

On the other hand I would really enjoy meeting the FF@ gang, talking about NEC 2002 (salty clave on Cape Cod) and doing some quality time with the Estes Bros in the Catskills to boot.

Boy, the season's temptations are already beginning to set in... it won't be long now!

trutta

02-19-2001, 12:29 PM

Yes Juro. That Wilmington.
Sorry to be so criptic but work beckons! ==8-O

Hawkeye

02-20-2001, 10:56 AM

How much of a conflict do you think this will be? Should the date be changed? With the striper season kicking off I didn't hold out a lot of hope for large attendance from the Mass coast gang but I thought we might get a chance to meet some members for whom the trip is not quite so long.

For anyone who would like to go but only have SW gear I have enough extra equipment to set up one person. The rod is a 7 weight which is a bit much but still very workable.

juro

02-20-2001, 11:22 AM

I am not sure I can do it (as much as I would, Luis has been tempting me with meeting the FF@ gang for a while now!) but I can offer a 5wt RPL sage and Lamson #2 LP with extra spool/line for anyone who will make the trip and of course, report on the journey afterwards.

BTW - there are folks from NY state signed up on the Forum... perhaps they would like to hook up as well?

Hawkeye

02-21-2001, 06:03 PM

Perhaps I jumped the gun with chosing a date. Is there more interest out there if we fiddle with the date?

Hawkeye

03-26-2001, 10:11 AM

Well we are two months out from the proposed date. I just checked campsite availability and only a few sites are taken. I think I was wrong about the group site thing but we should have no problem getting sites close together. Dad's been nudging me a little so I thought I would refresh this thread to see if there is any interest. With Papa G's two friends Mike, myself and a couple of possible newbie ladies we are at 7 attendies.

Any other interest out there?

Fishinimpossible

03-26-2001, 01:32 PM

Do the Adiriondacks!!!! I used to live in Albany, so I fished both areas. The Beaverkill is beautiful and historic, but try The Adirondacks, and you will not regret it. There are lakes full of sipping trout, beaver ponds and oh yeah...the Ausable! You miss a lot of the NYC crowd up there which usually won't go past the Catskills. You can stop in Fran Better's shop (more flies there than you can imagine), and there are plenty of nice campsites near the river.

Hawkeye

03-27-2001, 09:52 AM

Steve,

A great idea! I know nothing of the area though so my "sponsoring" a clave there would not make a heck of a lot of sense. Perhaps you would like to get one going? You have your first attendee right here and I'd be glad to help out with the planning and logistics.

I agree the Beaverkill can get a good taste of the NYC group but it holds a special place in my heart. If the clave doesn't come together the Estey clan will still make the trip.

Papa-G

04-01-2001, 03:00 PM

Hello Gregg,

Just to let you know I have confirmation from Sam Gainfort and Jim White that they are attending the Beaverkill Clave. I will continue to look for other NY'ers who might be interested.

Nathan Smith

04-01-2001, 11:21 PM

I am interested. It is hard to give up a good striper weekend but the Beaverkill is a trip you have to take. But will the NEC crowd be fishing the same area? Will it be crowded?

Hawkeye

04-02-2001, 02:59 PM

The NEC group will be in the adirondacks but that does not mean it wont be crowded. On my last trip we experienced crowds but with a minimal amount of effort (like hiking up or downstream from the popular access points) we were able to get some "solitary" time. Heck, I spent a whole afternoon completely alone on a great pool with rising trout. If the crowds are too bad there are plenty of options for the adventerous including the Willowomac (actually that's closer to camp than the hot parts of the Beaverkill), and the East and West Branches of the Delaware.

Hawkeye

04-24-2001, 06:34 PM

I'll be making the reservations at the end of this week (Friday or Saturday). If you want in on the fun, post or e-mail me. The count is 5 or 6 at the moment.

DFix

04-25-2001, 11:43 AM

My interest in this 'clave bears on never fishing there before, but I'm interested in a ballpark total cost of the weekend - lodgings, camping fees, licenses, fuel and travel costs. You who do or have made this trip, kindly help with the $$$ ballpark?
Thanks.

Hawkeye

04-25-2001, 11:56 AM

I'm about to run out the door but here are some
"ballpark" figures.

License - 12ish
camping - share a site or two (no group sites) 10 - 15
fuel - depends on how many in the carpool - say 15 - 25
food - 10ish
flies - depends on how many you buy - about 1.50 apiece